Six years ago, Alex Appleby identified a derelict property she thought might be suitable for her Sheffield-based Tiddlywinks childcare group. She recalls, 'We thought, paint it and put down a carpet, make it habitable. I had no idea about business plans and money and leases.'
Now, after a hard-won battle for 1.2m funding, she can hardly believe the transformation. 'I walk around the building, touching the walls. I could write a book about the journey we've been on, getting the building and the pitfalls on the way.'
The efforts of Alex, her friend and Tiddlywinks co-founder Lauretta Ledger, and the entire Arbourthorne community have been recognised in the Daycare Trust's Partners in Excellence awards. Earlier this year Arbourthorne Community Primary School and Arbourthorne Tiddlywinks scooped an award in the Integrating Care and Early Learning category.
The victory is especially sweet for the Abourthorne estate, where residents wondered why they never attracted regeneration funding. It was the birth of her third child that gave Alex the impetus to do something about the lack of parents' groups in the area. She trained as a nursery nurse and, with Lauretta, organised a toddlers' group in the local church hall. Soon after it opened in 1997, more than 30 families were regular attendees.
The group then raised over 8,000 for equipment to run a playgroup in the local primary school's dining hall, five mornings a week. By summer 1998 they launched a playscheme, followed by an after-school club.
Arbourthorne Tiddlywinks was established as a charitable company and a management committee was formed.
However, in November 2000, the Children Act meant the school premises were no longer considered suitable. Tiddlywinks relocated to the church hall and began to look for permanent premises.
It was then that Alex spotted the old works department across the road and, despite the dust and dirt, recognised its potential. She approachedSheffield Community Childcare Network, which gave initial development support and introduced her to the world of leasing, funding and building regulations. Alex began a five-year haul of writing business plans, developing a funding strategy, and heightening Tiddlywinks'
profile.
By spring 2004, the final expected piece of funding was suddenly withdrawn by a major sponsor. After high-level negotiation, it was eventually reinstated. 'On the very, very last day we had to sign the contracts for building work to start, they gave the go-ahead,' says Alex.
'I had a bottle of champagne in my fridge, but didn't dare open it in case something else went wrong!'
Meanwhile, new Tiddlywinks services were added at the church hall, including wraparound care and a creche to support local Sure Start training.
In April 2005 the Tiddlywinks Centre finally opened, designated a children's centre. The group is now working in partnership with Arbour- thorne community primary school and the Gleadless Valley and Arbour-thorne Sure Start programme to deliver integrated services for children.
Childcare services manager Sue Wallis says the project has done much to address the no-childcare, no-job cycle. 'We have enabled quite a lot of parents to get on to the ladder and have that training opportunity,' she says. 'We have parents doing NVQs in creche work and in childcare.'
The new centre provides a 49-place full daycare provision and a training/ community space. Already, childcare places are virtually at capacity, moving from 18 families 'on the books' at pre-opening in March 2005 to 115 families almost immediately afterwards.
'The building is clearly valued,' says Sue. 'Around 72 per cent of staff are from the local area. Employees are encouraged and supported to gain and advance their qualifications, which in turn provides Tiddlywinks with a skilled, local workforce.'
For Alex, that is one of the most rewarding aspects of the entire project.
She says, 'Half our staff started out with the mothers and toddlers group.
They came as parents with babies, and this has enabled them to go on courses and gain qualifications. It is lovely to see them as single parents grow and flourish and gain in confidence.'
Tiddlywinks is now getting ready to tackle phase two - more fund-raising to the tune of 800,000 to provide facilities for the family support side.
Sue says optimism has always been one of the group's strengths. 'You get knockbacks, but we feel we have got this far, and we are going to go for it all the way.'